Beautycon has come a long way. Once a glorified ‘meetup’ for Youtube and Insta-celebrities, the event has taken on a new multi-million dollar persona with one lucrative goal in mind: to market to Millenials as quickly and effectively as possible. This year’s sold-out event took place at the LA Convention Center. Thousands of beauty shoppers, influencers, and hopefuls (many praying to catch a glimpse of guest speaker Kim Kardashian-West) packed the main floor over the weekend. Between the main doors and the main stage were massive displays for familar brands, from MAC to Milani. Tucked between the cosmetic behemoths were lesser known (but no less effective) brands, hoping to catch stragglers in the horde of beauty-seekers as they rushed from one purchasing opportunity to the next.

This year’s event featured K-Town, an exhibit to highlight the most popular K-Beauty currently retailing in the United States. Leading the charge was AmorePacific, the company credited with bringing Korean Beauty practice and products to the US mainstream. In addition to the parent brand, the main booth also featured anti-aging powerhouse Sulwhasoo, Iope (maker of the first foundation cushion), Laneige (known for water-based technology) and Mamonde. Most of the K-Beauty booths were display only, with workers handing out samples to curious shoppers and directing them to the nearest online or physical retailers.

Those brands that were selling did their best to stand out with big colorful displays, and bright-eyed employees who’d perhaps had too many shots of Giggle Water. Not that many shoppers needed the extra push. Most were too happy to snap up products that are neither rare, remarkable or reasonably priced. Most brands sold their products at regular retail (read: no promotional show pricing), and customers were only too happy to oblige. Perhaps their zeal to buy can be credited to the environment. Beautycon’s stimulating blend of celebrity, lights, color and imagery is enough to bait even the most conservative shopper into a consuming frenzy…

…and that, after all, is the point.